I grew up in a culture that taught me to be suspicious of others. Motives had to always be examined and in every step you’d take, something always lurks in the background, ready to harm you.
My mum and my grandparents and other relatives reminded me to be careful. Walk with caution. ‘No one wants your good!’, they’d say. ‘The world is evil, keep your eyes open’, they’d warn me.
The notion that every time you start off on a new road in your life; a plan; a goal; you have to keep your eyes open day and night, because there will always be a net spreading before you ready to entrap you, permeates the pessimistic cultural and societal attitudes of my land.
Historically, one could argue, that is precisely true.
The warnings I have always received were that if at some point I get tangled up in its knots; no one will be able to get me out. No help will be found at my time of distress. Always I gotta try and find the end of the thread on my own. And if I’m lucky, start all over again.
Cynical, I know. Pessimistic, indeed. With some dose of reality intermingled in it.
The thing is, nowadays, in my midlife, I can look back and recognize the various triggers and notions that collectively can lead an individual within a specific culture to desperation, lack of faith in humanity, and lack of hope to any better future.
How has your experience been while growing up in your culture? What are some main beliefs that have hinder your ability to relate to others, to feel love or joy, to experience freedom and live life abundantly? Are these notions based on truth or did you dismiss them as myths?
How does one get to the point where their awareness of the various barriers to engagement and seeking support can be overturned and replaced by positive, healthy attitudes that assist their mental health and development as they mature and age?
Those obstacles, popping up in front of us at every stage in life, can they be removed? Have you done this? If yes, how? What helped you not turn into (become like) your mother or father? How did you do a breakthrough?
Share the possibilities...
